Ignition units for spark-ignition internal combustion engines are known from the related art. Electrical energy, which is often temporarily stored with the aid of an inductor, flashes through the combustion chamber volume between two electrodes, whereby the ignitable mixture in the combustion chamber is ignited. The two electrodes are usually fixedly situated relative to one another. A spark gap between the electrodes, which is also fixed, is therefore predefined. In order to enable the mixture to be successfully ignited, an at least partially ignitable mixture must be present in the area of the ignition spark gap, the location of which varies only in a stochastically distributed way. The tendency to use lean mixtures, in particular in the partial load range of the internal combustion engine, places increased requirements on the mixture stratification in the area of the ignition spark gap.
Patent document DE 26 35 150 shows the principle of a contact-breaking spark in an inductive circuit of an ignition unit for an internal combustion engine. Therein, a contact separation is mechanically controlled by a piston movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,788 discusses a contact separation carried out with the aid of a separate relay instead of the piston movement.
It is also believed to be understood to provide multiple ignition spark gaps within a combustion chamber and/or to repeatedly ignite one and the same spark gap in order to increase the probability of a successful ignition. This increases the demand for material and electrical energy for the ignition process, however.